Methods of electrical signaling in an ion energy analyzer

ABSTRACT

A method of generating a signal representing with an ion energy analyzer for use in determining an ion energy distribution of a plasma. The ion energy analyzer, used for determining an ion energy distribution of a plasma, includes a first grid and a second grid that is spaced away from and electrically isolated from the first grid. The first grid forms a first surface of the ion energy analyzer and is positioned to be exposed to the plasma. The first grid includes a first plurality of openings, which are dimensioned to be less than a Debye length for the plasma. A voltage source and an ion current meter are operably coupled to the second grid, the latter of which is configured to measure an ion flux onto the ion collector and to transmit a signal that represents the measured ion flux. The method includes selectively and variably biasing the second grid relative to the first grid.

The present application claims the filing benefit of co-pending U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 61/468,187, filed on Mar. 28, 2011,the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein inits entirety. The present application is related to co-pending U.S.application Ser. No. 13/433,071, entitled ION ENERGY ANALYZER; U.S.application Ser. No. 13/433,088, entitled ION ENERGY ANALYZER ANDMETHODS OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME; and International Application SerialNo. PCT/US2012/030960, entitled ION ENERGY ANALYZER, METHODS OFELECTRICAL SIGNALING THEREIN, AND METHODS OF MANUFACTURING AND OPERATINGTHE SAME. These related, co-pending applications were filed on even dateherewith and the disclosure of each is incorporated herein by reference,in its entirety. The present application is also related to commonlyassigned U.S. Pat. No. 7,777,179, issued on Aug. 17, 2010, and U.S. Pat.No. 7,875,859, issued on Jan. 25, 2011, the disclosures of which arealso hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to ion energy analysis and, moreparticularly, to ion energy analyzers for measuring ion energydistributions within a plasma process system, including methods ofmaking and using the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Plasma, or more generally, an electrical discharge, has found extensiveuse in a variety of industrial applications, including materialprocessing. For example, during semiconductor processing, plasma isoften utilized to assist etch processes to facilitate anisotropicremoval of material along fine lines or within vias (or contacts)patterned on a semiconductor substrate. Examples of such plasma-assistedetching include reactive ion etching (“RIE”), which is in essence an ionactivated chemical etching process.

During plasma processing, ion energy, and more specifically, the ionenergy distribution (“IED”), is a process parameter that stronglyinfluences the outcome of the reactive process at the substrate. Forexample, when performing an etching process on a semiconductor device,ion energy affects etch selectivity, etch rate uniformity, sidewallprofile, residue control, etc. Due to the significance of this processparameter, the measurement of ion energy and its distribution at aspecific location within a plasma processing system is important forcharacterizing the effectiveness of the plasma.

Generally, the IED is measured by immersing a grid and an ion collectorwithin a beam of ions. The electric potential of the grid is varied suchthat only the ions in the beam having sufficient energy to overcome thepotential barrier imposed by the biased grid will pass through the gridand strike the ion collector. By collecting and measuring the ioncurrent as a function of the potential on the grid, an integrated formof the IED may be acquired. Differentiation of this integral leads tothe IED.

While IED has been measured extensively in plasma processes for decadesusing a variety of ion energy analyzers (“IEA”), there remains neededimprovement. For example, most known conventional analyzers perturb theprocessing plasma to an extent that the measurement is no longercharacteristic of the conditions prevailing when processing a substrate,fail to operate at large electric potentials, and/or exhibit substantivenoise arising from secondary electron emission within the analyzer.

While many attempts have been made to cure these shortcomings, therestill remains the need for improved, novel, and practical solutions tothese and other problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the foregoing problems and othershortcomings and drawbacks of ion energy analyzers of the prior art.While the present invention will be described in connection with certainembodiments, it will be understood that the present invention is notlimited to these embodiments. To the contrary, this invention includesall alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be includedwithin the scope of the present invention.

In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention is directedto a method of generating a signal with an ion energy analyzer. The ionenergy analyzer, used for determining an ion energy distribution of aplasma, includes a first grid and a second grid that is spaced away fromand electrically isolated from the first grid. The first grid forms afirst surface of the ion energy analyzer and is positioned to be exposedto the plasma. The first grid includes a first plurality of openings,which are dimensioned to be less than a Debye length for the plasma. Avoltage source and an ion current meter are operably coupled to thesecond grid, the latter of which is configured to measure an ion fluxonto the ion collector and to transmit a signal that represents themeasured ion flux. The method includes selectively and variably biasingthe second grid relative to the first grid.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a method ofgenerating a signal representing an ion energy distribution of a plasmacomprising a plurality of ions includes applying a potential barrierbetween, and with respect to, a first grid and the plasma. The potentialbarrier limits ions of the plurality passing through the first grid tothose that have a sufficient energy in order to overcome the potentialbarrier. A second grid is selectively and variably biased with respectto the first grid. The selective and variable bias further limits ionsof the plurality passing through the second grid. A flux of ions passingthrough the second grid is measured.

In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a methodof generating a signal representing an ion energy distribution of aplasma comprising a plurality of ions includes applying a potentialbarrier between, and with respect to, an entrance grid and the plasma.The potential barrier limits ions of the plurality passing through theentrance grid to those that have a sufficient energy in order toovercome the potential barrier. A selection grid is selectively andvariably biased with respect to the entrance grid. The selective andvariable bias further limits ion of the plurality passing through theselection grid. A flux of ions passing through the selection grid isreceived at an ion collector and measured with an ion current meter. Asignal representing the measured flux of ions is then transmitted.

One other embodiment of the present invention includes an RC circuit forfiltering high frequency signal transferred from an ion energy analyzerto an ion energy analyzer controller. The ion energy analyzer for usedin determining an ion energy distribution of a plasma within aprocessing chamber. The RC circuit includes first and second filtersthat are operably coupled to an entrance grid and a selection grid ofthe ion energy analyzer, respectively. The first and second filtersinclude a band-pass filter or a low-pass filter comprising rutheniumoxide.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the presentinvention and, together with a general description of the inventiongiven above, and the detailed description of the embodiments givenbelow, serve to explain the principles of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional representation of a plasmaprocessing system according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic top-view representation of a diagnostic wafer foruse in the plasma processing system of FIG. 1 and including an IonEnergy Analyzer (“IEA”) in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the IEA of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the IEA of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5A a diagram representing the encircled 5A of the IEA of FIG. 4before charge up.

FIG. 5B is a diagram similar to FIG. 5A representing the IEA aftercharge up.

FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of a selection grid of the IEA ofFIG. 2 operated in accordance with a waveform and having iontrajectories outlined.

FIG. 7 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating the IEA ofFIG. 2 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of an IEA in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is an exploded, perspective view of the IEA shown in FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of an IEA in accordance with anotherembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a schematic representation of an IEA with an IEA controllerconfigured to power embodiments of a three-layer IEA in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a schematic representation of an IEA with an IEA controllerconfigured to power embodiments of a three-layer IEA in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic representation of an IEA controller configured topower embodiments of a diagnostic wafer having a plurality ofthree-layer IEAs thereon and sharing a common scanning grid inaccordance with certain embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a schematic representation of an IEA with an IEA controllerconfigured to power embodiments of a two-layer IEA suitable for poweringembodiments of two-layer IEA in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 14A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the two-layer IEA ofFIG. 14.

FIG. 15 is a schematic representation of an IEA with an IEA controllerconfigured to power embodiments of a two-layer IEA suitable for poweringembodiments of two-layer IEA in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 16 is a schematic representation of an IEA controller suitable forpowering a diagnostic wafer having a plurality of two-layer IEAs thereonand in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 17 is a schematic representation of an IEA controller suitable forpowering a diagnostic wafer having a plurality of two-layer IEAs thereonand in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of a feed-through system of the plasmaprocessing system of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIG. 19 is a schematic top view of a portion of the feed-through systemshown of FIG. 18.

FIG. 20 is a flow chart illustrating one method of MEMS-basedmanufacturing of an IEA in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 21A-21H are schematic representations illustrating steps of themethod of FIG. 20.

FIG. 22 is a flow chart illustrating one method of electrically couplingan IEA with an IEA controller via the feed-through system and inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 23A-23D are schematic representations illustrating the steps ofthe method of FIG. 22.

FIG. 24 schematic cross-sectional representation, similar to FIG. 1, ofa diagnostic plasma processing system according to another embodiment ofthe present invention.

FIGS. 25A and 25B are perspective views of an alignment device for usein aligning grids of an IEA as provided in FIG. 20 and according to oneembodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following description, to facilitate a thorough understanding ofthe invention and for purposes of explanation and not limitation,specific details are set forth, such as a particular geometry of theplasma processing system and various descriptions of the systemcomponents. However, it should be understood that the invention may bepracticed with other embodiments that depart from these specificdetails.

Nonetheless, it should be appreciated that, contained within thedescription are features which, notwithstanding the inventive nature ofthe general concepts being explained, are also of an inventive nature.

Referring now to the figures, and in particular to FIG. 1, a simplifiedschematic of a plasma processing system 50 according to one embodimentof the present invention is shown. The plasma processing system 50comprises a first electrode 52 and a second electrode 54 disposed ongenerally opposing sides of a processing chamber 56, wherein the firstelectrode 52 is configured within a substrate holder 58 to support adiagnostic wafer 60 or a processing wafer (not shown).

The first electrode 52 may be operably coupled to a first radiofrequency (“RF”) power system 62 configured to provide RF power at afirst RF frequency and a first RF voltage, while the second electrode 54may be operably coupled to a second RF power system 64 configured toprovide RF power at a second RF frequency and a second RF voltage. Forexample, the second RF frequency may be at a relatively higher RFfrequency than the first RF frequency. The RF power provided to thefirst and second electrodes 52, 54 is operable to form a plasma 66within a processing space 68 located between the two electrodes 52, 54.

Although both the first and second electrodes 52, 54 are shown to becoupled to RF power systems 62, 64, at least one of the electrodes maybe coupled to another power system. For example, the second electrode 54may be operably coupled to direct current (“DC”) ground or a DC voltagesource 70. Alternatively, the first electrode 52 may be coupled to DCground or a DC power system 72 while the second electrode 54 is coupledto the second RF power system 64. Alternatively yet, the first electrode52 may be coupled to the first RF power system 62 that is operable toprovide multiple RF frequencies (e.g., the first RF frequency and thesecond RF frequency) while the second electrode 54 may be coupled to DCground or a DC power system 72. Alternatively, the second electrode 54may be coupled to a DC power system 70, which is pulsed or modulatedwith a low frequency waveform.

Additionally, the plasma processing system 50 may optionally comprise aDC power system 72 configured to provide a DC voltage to the secondelectrode 54. The DC power system 72 may include a variable DC powersupply. Additionally, the DC power system 72 may include a bipolar DCpower supply. Furthermore, the DC power system 72 may be configured toperform at least one of monitoring, adjusting, or controlling thepolarity, current, voltage, or on/off state of the DC power. Once theplasma 66 is formed, the DC power system 72 may be used to facilitatehigh energy electron beam formation.

If so desired, an electrical filter (not shown) may be utilized tode-couple the RF power systems 62, 64 from the DC power system 72. Forexample, the DC voltage applied to the second electrode 54 by DC powersystem 72 may range from approximately −2000 volts (“V”) toapproximately 1000 V. Desirably, the absolute value of the DC voltagehas a value that is equal to or greater than approximately 100 V, andmore desirably, the absolute value of the DC voltage has a value that isequal to or greater than approximately 500 V. Additionally, it isdesirable that the DC voltage has a negative polarity. Furthermore, itis desirable that the DC voltage is a negative voltage having anabsolute value that is greater than the self-bias voltage generated on asurface of the second electrode 54. The surface of the second electrode54 facing the first electrode 52 may include a silicon-containingmaterial.

Coupling of a DC voltage, such as a negative DC voltage, to the secondelectrode 54 may facilitate ballistic electron beam formation, asdescribed above. Power of the electron beam is derived from thesuperposition of the negative DC voltage onto the second electrode 54.As is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,740,737, the application of anegative DC power to the plasma processing system 50 affects ballistic(or collision-less) electron beam formation that strikes a surface ofthe diagnostic wafer 60.

Turning now to FIG. 2, the diagnostic wafer 60 is shown and described ingreater detail. The diagnostic wafer 60 includes a base or carriersubstrate 61 (referenced hereafter as “substrate” 61) of any size,including, for example, a 300 mm silicon substrate; however, other sizes(including, about 200 mm to about 450 mm) and materials may also beused. The substrate 61 of the diagnostic wafer includes, or may comprisea portion of, one or more ion energy analyzers (“IEAs”) 74, which isconfigured for use in measuring, evaluating, and/or diagnosing the ionenergy distribution (“IED”) of ions incident on the diagnostic wafer 60while the diagnostic wafer 60 is immersed in the plasma 66 and RF biasedthrough the first electrode 52 by first RF power system 62. Each IEA 74may be operably coupled to an IEA measurement electronics system 76(hereafter referred to as “IEA controller” 76), which is configured toreceive a signal related to IED, as described in greater detail below.

The plasma processing system 50 further comprises a controller 78 thatmay be operably coupled to one or more of the first RF power system 62,the second RF power system 64, the DC voltage source 70, the DC powersystem 72, and the IEA controller 76, and may be configured to exchangedata with each of these systems. For example, the controller 78 may beconfigured to receive a signal related to ion current and/or IED, andprocess this signal in order to determine the state of the plasma 66. Inother examples, the controller 78 may be used to correlate a changesignal and/or IED with an endpoint of a plasma process (such as plasmaetching), including, for example, a fault in the etch process or aplasma instability.

Use of the diagnostic wafer 60 may be implemented with any type ofplasma processing system 50. In this illustrative example, themeasurement of IED is performed in an RF powered capacitively coupledplasma (“CCP”) processing system. However, the diagnostic wafer 60 mayalso be used in an inductively coupled plasma (“ICP”), a transformercoupled plasma (“TCP”), an electron cyclotron resonance (“ECR”) plasma,a helicon wave plasma, a surface wave plasma (“SWP”), which, forexample, may be formed using a slotted plane antenna, and so forth.

Referring still to FIG. 2, the IEA 74 is positioned in a generallycentral region of the substrate 61; however, this position is notnecessary as the IEA 74 may be positioned closer to an edge of thesubstrate 61. If so desired, a second IEA (not shown) may be positionedgenerally at an edge region of the substrate 61.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 4, with continued reference to FIGS. 1 and2, the IEA 74 is shown in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention. The IEA 74 generally is an assembly including an entrancegrid 80 forming a first surface that is exposed to the plasma 66, an ionselection grid 82 disposed proximate to the entrance grid 80 andopposite the plasma 66, and an ion collector 84 disposed proximate tothe selection grid 82, opposite the entrance grid 80, and forming asecond surface of the IEA 74.

As is described in greater detail below, each grid 80, 82 and the ioncollector 84 may be fabricated on a doped or, alternatively, aphosphorous-doped silicon substrate 90, 92, 94. Moreover, theconstruction of the diagnostic wafer 60 may be selected to so as tobehave as the same RF circuit elements as a corresponding processingwafer. The RF circuit elements may include, for example, conductivity,RF impendence, and so forth. In a particular embodiment, the entrancegrid 80 is formed directly onto the diagnostic wafer 60 and othercomponents comprising the IEA 74 are coupled to the entrance grid 80 viathe backside of the diagnostic wafer 60. In other embodiments, theentrance grid 80 may be formed in a separate silicon wafer and assembledwith the selection grid 82 and the ion collector 84 so as to bepositioned in a recess of the silicon wafer and described in greaterdetail below.

The entrance grid 80 and the selection grid 82 each comprises a central,grid portion 81, 83 having plurality of openings therein, wherein eachof the openings has a dimension (for example, a diameter for circularshaped grids; a length or a width for rectangular or square shapedgrids; or other shape and appropriate dimension as desired) that is, atmost, the Debye length based on the density and electron temperature atthe moment that a plasma sheath, which is at a plasma boundary proximatethe entrance grid 80, is at its minimum width, which typically occurs atthe maximum of the RF swing. Selection of the opening size is necessaryto ensure that a plasma sheath, positioned at a boundary of the plasma66 proximate the IEA 74, remains relatively unperturbed. Furthermore,sub-Debye lengths restrict the plasma sheath's ability to penetrate theentrance grid 80 and to extend into the IEA 74. For the 300 mm diameterwafer and 100 mm diameter IEA noted above, the central grid portions 81,83 may have a diameter that ranges from about 5 mm to about 20 mm;however, again these dimensions should not be considered to be limiting.

The central, grid portions 81, 83 may also have a thickness for theentrance and selection grids 80, 82, respectively. The thickness mayrange from about the dimension of the openings (i.e., the Debye length)to about twice the dimension of the openings (i.e., twice the Debyelength) so as to provide sufficient material to support electric fieldsand mechanical strength while minimizing the neutralization of ionspassing therethrough.

The substrates 90, 92, 94 comprising the entrance grid 80, selectiongrid 82, and ion collector 84 are spatially separated by insulators 86,88 disposed between adjacent ones of the substrates 90, 92, 94.According to one embodiment, the insulators 86, 88 may be constructedfrom, for example, an aluminate (Al₂O₃) or sapphire-based materialhaving a thickness that generally ranges from about 30 nm to about 60nm.

Each insulator 86, 88, like the entrance and selection grids 80, 82,includes a central opening 87, 89 that is substantially in verticalalignment with the central grid portions 81, 83. The central openings87, 89 have a diameter that meets or exceeds the diameter of the centralgrid portions 81, 83 of the entrance and selection grids 80, 82. Becauseof the high voltage potentials applied to the grids 80, 82, 84, theinsulators 86, 88 may be subject to electrical breakdown and/or thepossibility of flashover occurring between adjacent ones of the grids80, 82, 84. In that regard, and as more particularly shown in FIGS. 5Aand 5B, the insulator material may be configured such that the centralopenings 87, 89 of the insulators 86, 88 have diameters, which are lessthan the diameters of channels 96, 98 formed below the central gridportions 81, 83 of the grids 80, 82 but greater than the diameters ofthe central grid portions 81, 83. Said another way, the insulators 86,88 project inwardly from the substrates 92, 94 toward a center of theIEA 74. The insulators 86, 88 thus project inwardly from a channel wallwith a length of overlap or projection, t, determined to sufficientlybend field lines (shown in dashed lines) extending between thesubstrates 90, 92, 94 to reduce or prevent flashover before (FIG. 5A)and after (FIG. 5B) charge up.

Comparatively, the conventional length, t, for insulators 86, 88 wouldbe zero. In such instances, there exists a path, along the surface ofthe insulator 88, 86, connecting the separated conductors (e.g., thegrids 80, 82 and the ion collector 84). When an applied, continuouselectric field is parallel to the surface of the insulator 86, 88, thereis a possibility of breakdown with sufficiently large electric fields.Instead, and as provided in FIGS. 5A and 5B, the length, l, of insulatorprojects into a region in which the electric field parallel to thesurface of the insulator 86, 88 is relatively small, thereby reducingthe possibility for surface arc.

Alternatively, and where there exists a set of all possible pathsextending along a surface of the insulators 86, 88, the insulators 86,88 may include a geometry that is selected such that no straight linepath exists between two points of the immediately adjacent grids 80, 82,84. More specifically, with respect to the particular illustratedembodiment, between the entrance grid 80 and the selection grid 82 withrespect to the first insulator 86 and the selection grid 82 with the ioncollector 84 with respect to the second insulator 88.

Referring again to FIG. 3, the IEA 74 may be capped off with a ceramicspacer 99 and a quartz cover plate 101. The quartz cover plate 101 maybe coupled to the entrance grid 80, for example, via one or more bolts103, which may be constructed from a ceramic-based material. In otherembodiments, layers comprising the IEA 74 may be joined by adhesive,etc.

Each of the entrance and selection grids 82, 84 and the ion collector 84is operably coupled to a respective voltage source 180 a, 182 a (FIG.11) of the IEA controller 76 and the ion collector 84 (FIG. 11) to anion current meter, illustrated specifically herein as an ammeter 106(FIG. 1), of the IEA controller 76. In one embodiment this isaccomplished via the feed-through system 75 in a wall of the processingchamber 56 (FIG. 1). The first voltage source 180 a may be operable toapply a constant or alternating bias to the selection grid 82 relativeto the entrance grid potential. The second voltage source 182 a may beoperable to apply a negative bias to the ion collector selection grid 84relative to the entrance grid potential.

As shown in FIG. 6, a bias potential may be applied to the selectiongrid 82, for example, by a sinusoidal waveform 108, such that theselection grid 82 is biased between a negative voltage and a positivevoltage with respect to the entrance grid 80 (FIG. 2). Other waveformsmay be used, including, for example, a triangular waveform. The voltagepotential of the selection grid 82 (FIG. 2) relative to the entrancegrid 80 is operable to determine a minimum ion energy (and charge) forions passing through the plurality of holes in the central, grid portion83 (FIG. 3) of the selection grid 82 (FIG. 3) and reaching the ioncollector 84 (FIG. 3). Alternatively, ions of a first selected energymay be turned away from the selection grid 82 (FIG. 3), e.g., repelled,at some grid voltages while ions of second selected energy will traversethe plurality of holes in the central, grid portion 83 (FIG. 3) of theselection grid 82 (FIG. 3) at a somewhat lower voltage to be recorded atthe ion collector 84 (FIG. 3), with higher probability, at even lowerselection grid voltages.

The exemplary illustration of FIG. 6 shows ion trajectories for highenergy ions at different time points along the waveform 108. Theintermediate voltage range, during which there is a partial transmissionof ions, represents one of the limits on the resolution of an ion energyanalyzer in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart 110 illustrating one method of using the plasmaprocessing system 50 in accordance with one embodiment of the presentinvention, with reference also to FIGS. 1 and 3. In this particularembodiment the voltage of the entrance grid 80 (FIG. 2) is sensed and amagnitude of the voltage applied to the selection grid 82 (FIG. 3) andthe ion collector 84 (FIG. 3) are referenced to this sensed voltagerather than the chamber ground or other reference voltage. In optionalStep 112, the diagnostic wafer 60 having the IEA 74 incorporated thereinis positioned within the processing chamber 56; however, as described ingreater detail below, the location of the IEA 74 need not be limited tothe diagnostic wafer 60, but may, instead, be included on a processingwafer or on a plasma-exposed surface of a diagnostic system. A desiredfraction of the ion flux is selected to reach the ion collector 84 bydetermining an ion voltage for the selection grid 82 and, in thatregard, in Step 114, the floating potential of the entrance grid 80 issensed and used as a reference voltage for the selection grid and ioncollector voltages. The ion collector 84, being coupled to a voltagesource 180 a (FIG. 11) is configured to negatively bias the ioncollector 84. The ion selection voltage may comprise a positive DCvoltage ranging from about 0 V to a value that is equal to the maximumion energy. The range of the ion selection voltage is selected to besufficiently wide to permit discrimination of the full range of ionenergies for ions passing through the plasma sheath at the plasmaboundary and entering the IEA 74 through entrance grid 80.

In Step 116, a time-varying waveform for voltage is applied to theselection grid 82 and the ion current flux received at the ion collector84 is measured in Step 118. The voltage source 180 a (FIG. 11) iselectrically coupled to the selection grid 82 may comprise a variable DCvoltage source configured to bias the ion collector 84 with a negativeDC ion selection voltage. The variable DC voltage source is configuredto scan the ion selection voltage by varying the ion selection voltagebetween a first voltage value and a second voltage value. The ionselection voltage may be referenced to the floating potential on theentrance grid 80 or to ground, as described in detail below.

In Step 119, the measured ion current is stored as a function of thetime-varying ion selection voltage of the selection grid 82. In thatregard, the ammeter 106 is coupled to the ion collector 84 to measurethe ion current. The ammeter 106 may comprise an operational amplifier(op-amp) or other device as would be understood by those of ordinaryskill in the art.

The IEA controller 76 is configured to, among other things, receive asignal related to a selected ion current at the ion collector 84,process the signal, store the signal, and assemble the IED for theplasma subject to diagnosis. In those embodiments in which a more thanone IEA 74 is immersed in plasma, the IED may be measured by varying thepotential on the selection grid 82, and monitoring the ion currentassociated with those ions having sufficient energy to overcome thepotential barrier imposed by the ion collector 84 and strike the ioncollector 84. By collecting and measuring the selected ion current as afunction of the potential on the ion collector 84, an integrated form ofthe IED may be acquired. Differentiation of this integral leads to theIED.

In accordance to another embodiment of the present invention, the IEAcontroller 76 may be configured to set a sweeping output level to biasthe ion collector 84 via the voltage source 182 a (FIG. 11) and tonegatively bias the selection grid 82 to a fixed negative voltage, bothvoltages being relative to a detected potential of the entrance grid 80.The negative bias of the selection grid 82 is operable to repelelectrons entering the entrance grid 80 while a varying positivepotential applied to the ion collector 84 is operable to repel thoseions having energies that are lower than the collector potential,relative to the entrance grid. The ion collector current, as a functionof the ion collector voltage, may be differentiated to give the IED.

In some instances, the availability, costs, or other external influencesmay require that the amount of material (such as the doped silicon)comprising the entrance grid be reduced. In particular, the costassociated with forming an entrance grid directly into the substrate maybecome quite high. Therefore, limiting the amount of substrate materialnecessary for the entrance grid formation may be beneficial.

In that regard, and with reference now to FIGS. 8 and 9, a diagnosticwafer 120 having an IEA 122 in accordance with another embodiment of thepresent invention is shown. The diagnostic wafer 120 includes a recessedportion 124 therein that is shaped and sized to receive the IEA 122therein and such that an exposed surface 128 of an entrance grid 126,having openings 127 therein, is co-planar with an exposed surface 130 ofthe diagnostic wafer 120. A recessed track 132 extends radiallyoutwardly from the recessed portion 124 and is configured to containelectrical components operatively associated with the IEA 122 asdescribed in greater detail below.

The dimensions of the entrance grid 126 need to be sufficiently large soas to provide good capacitive coupling between the entrance grid 126 andthe underlying substrate 121 of the diagnostic wafer 120. Goodcapacitive coupling between the entrance grid 126 and the underlyingsubstrate 121 is necessary so that the RF impedance between the entrancegrid 126 and the substrate 1221 is less than the RF impedance betweenthe entrance grid 126 and ground in the case that a wire connects theentrance grid 126 to the outside world through a feed-through 75 system(FIG. 1) in the chamber wall. For example, the IEA 122 of a 300 mmdiameter silicon wafer used in constructing the entrance grid 126 mayhave a diameter that is approximately 100 mm while the diameters ofsilicon wafers used in constructing the selection grid 134 (withopenings 135 extending therethrough) and/or the ion collector 136 may beless than 100 mm to further reduce material costs. Generally, thethickness of the substrate material used in constructing the entranceand selection grids 126, 134 and the ion collector 136 may vary fromabout 10 μm to about 500 μm.

The grids 126, 134 and the ion collector 136 are again separated byfirst and second insulators 138, 140 constructed in a manner that wasdescribed in detail above. The IEA 122 may be held together with aquartz cover plate 144, the latter of which being received within afurther recessed portion 146 of the wafer 120 and the assembly coupledtogether via one or more bolts 148, which may be constructed from aceramic-based material. Still other bolts 150 may be used to couple theIEA 122 to the diagnostic wafer 120.

A ceramic spacer 152 may be included to insulate electrical couplings,i.e., wires 154, from the silicon diagnostic wafer 120.

Use of the diagnostic wafer 120 as described herein may be similar tothe method described previously with respect to FIG. 7.

In still other processing methods, further restrictions in the amount ofsubstrate material used in forming the entrance grid may be necessary.As a result, and as shown in FIG. 10, an entrance grid 160 for use witha diagnostic wafer 162 comprising a silicon substrate 163 in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention is shown and described.The entrance grid 160 again comprises a doped silicon substrate materialthat may be similar to those described previously, divided into a firstsegment 164 and a second segment 166. In the particular illustrativeembodiment, the first segment 164 includes a central, grid portion 168having a plurality of openings 170 therein and the second segment 166 ispositioned concentrically with the first segment 164. However, otherarrangements and shapes may also be used.

The first and second segments 164, 166 are coupled via a lead 172 suchthat, together, the first and second segments 164, 166 act as a singlebody, electrically. As a result, the overall area of the first andsecond segments 164, 166 is sufficiently large as to provide goodcapacitive, RF coupling between the first and second segments,collectively, and the diagnostic wafer 162. Related techniques may beused to enhance the RF coupling of any of the grids to the diagnosticwafer 162

It would be understood that the lead 172 may be a conductive wire orother known devices.

The remaining components comprising the IEA 174 of FIG. 10 may besimilar to those described above with reference to FIG. 8 and indeed,like reference numerals having primes thereafter designate correspondingcomponents of the embodiments.

From the description herein, those of ordinary skill in the art wouldreadily appreciate that a variety of electrical circuit embodiments maycomprise the IEA controller 76 (FIG. 1). Yet, some circuit diagrams maybe more beneficial than others, for example, those that minimize thenumber of electrical connections by ganging one or more of the grids.Accordingly, various embodiments of IEA controller configuration aredescribed; however, the electrical diagrams described herein should notbe considered limiting as any number of circuits may be implemented byone of ordinary skill in the art.

In making reference now to FIG. 11, an IEA controller 76 a is describedin accordance with one such embodiment. Specifically, the IEA controller76 a is suitable for use with relatively-biased plasmas in which theplasma potential is variable. In that regard, the bias potential acrossentrance grid 80 is determined, at least in part, by the plasmapotential. The IEA controller 76 a is electrically coupled to theentrance grid 80, the selection grid 82, and the ion collector 84 of theIEA 74. In that regard, a first adjustable voltage source 180 within theIEA controller 76 a is configured to selectively bias the selection grid82 with respect to the entrance grid 80. A second adjustable voltagesource 182 within the IEA controller 76 a is configured to selectivelybias the ion collector 84 relative to the entrance grid 80. Generallyeach voltage source 180, 182 is configured to apply a voltage potentialranging from −V to +V and may be constructed in a variety of methods.According to one embodiment, one or both of the voltage sources 180, 182may comprise a first voltage generator in series with a second, variablevoltage generator of opposing polarity. For example, the first voltagegenerator may be configured to apply a positive bias between twoelectrodes while the second, variable voltage generator selectively andnegatively biases the two electrodes so as to be less positive or evennegative.

The ammeter 106 is electrically coupled to the ion collector 84 and isconfigured to measure an electrical current flow resulting from ionshaving sufficient energy impacting the ion collector 84. A signalrepresenting the measured, resultant electrical current may betransmitted, via hard wire connection or wirelessly, to the controller78 for processing.

In certain plasma conditions, the entrance grid floating voltage may bemeasured and then biased relative to a reference voltage, such asground, accordance with another embodiment of the present invention asshown in FIG. 12. In addition to the first and second voltage source 180a, 182 a that are similar to those described above with reference toFIG. 11, a third voltage source 184 may electrically couple, inparallel, the IEA controller 76 b to ground.

If desired, another ion current meter may be provided between theselection grid 82 and the adjustable voltage source 180 a. The ioncurrent detected from the selection grid 80 may be used in determiningthe IED or for evaluating a performance of the IEA, generally.

In those embodiments in which a diagnostic wafer includes a plurality ofIEAs 74, it may be beneficial to incorporate a single selection grid 186for all IEAs 74. FIG. 13 illustrates one such embodiment of the presentinvention. The IEA controller 76 c again includes a first voltage source180 b applying a voltage between each entrance grid 80 and a unitaryselection grid 186. Separate ammeters 106 in series with second voltagesources 182 b electrically couple the ion collectors 84 with theentrance grids 80. As shown, the IEAs 74 are further coupled to aninternal ground source, which here may be the diagnostic wafer 60.

While FIG. 13 illustrates the voltage sources 182 b being combinedwithin a single IEA controller 76 c, it would be readily appreciatedthat this is for illustrative convenience only and, in fact, in someembodiments a separate IEA controller may be operably coupled to eachIEA and including only one set of voltage sources 180, 182 therein.

The embodiments of the present invention have thus far included separateselection grid and ion collector; however, the functions performed bythese separate components may be combined into a single unit. Forexample, and with reference now to FIGS. 14 and 14A, an IEA 200 inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention isschematically shown with one embodiment of an IEA controller 206 a. TheIEA 200 includes an entrance grid 202 and collector 204, electricallyisolated from the entrance grid 202 by an insulator 207 that is operableto selectively collect ions of a predetermine energy range.

The collector 204 is biased with respect to the entrance grid, which hasa floating potential, by an adjustable voltage source 208 a, which maybe configured in a manner that is similar to the adjustable voltagesources 180, 182 (FIG. 11) described above. An ammeter 210 a iselectrically coupled to the collector 204 and is configured to measurean electrical current flow resulting from ions having sufficient energyimpacting the collector 204. A signal representing the measured,resultant electrical current may be transmitted, via hard wireconnection or wirelessly, from the ammeter 210 to a processor 189 of thecontroller 78 for processing.

The IEA 200 not only reduces the amount of material, particularly thedoped silicon, necessary for construction of the IEA 200, but alsoreduces the complexity of the electrical connections, and isolationthereof, between the IEA 200 and the IEA controller 206 a.

In use, the IEA 200 may be configured to operate as an ion currentprobe. In this configuration, the ion collector 204 may measure totalion current. More specifically, the ion collector 204 may be biasednegative relative to the entrance grid 202 (having a plurality ofopenings 203 in a central, grid portion 205) and the ion current ismeasured by impacting the ion collector 204. With a waveform, such aswas described with reference to FIG. 6, applied to the ion collector204, an IED may be determined using a single grid and a singlecollector, making this arrangement a small and simple configuration.

FIG. 15 illustrates the IEA 200 having an IEA controller 206 b that iselectrically configured for use with a constant biased entrance grid202. Specifically, in addition to the adjustable voltage source 208 b,another adjustable voltage source 212 may electrically couple, inparallel, the IEA 200 to ground.

FIGS. 16 and 17 illustrate two electrical configurations in which adiagnostic wafer includes a plurality of IEAs 200. Although three IEAsare shown, it would be readily appreciated that the number illustratedshould not be considered to be limiting. In FIG. 16, the IEA controller206 c is configured such that each IEA 200 of the plurality has aseparate adjustable voltage source 208 c and ammeter 210 c combination.A signal representing the measured, resultant electrical current may betransmitted and distinguished. Therefore, the IED may be determined at aplurality of locations of the diagnostic wafer. As was noted above,while the voltage sources 208 c are illustrated to be provided withinthe same IEA controller 206 c, this is not requires as each IEA 200 maybe operable coupled to a separate IEA controller 206.

FIG. 17 is similar in that each IEA 200 and includes a separateadjustable voltage source 208 d and ammeter 210 d, the IEA controller206 d is not directly, electrically coupled to the entrance grids 202 asare the IEA 206 d. Instead, the IEAs 200 are coupled to an internalground source, near the substrate 61.

Transferring the electrical current measurements from the ammeter withinan environment operating a high voltage potentials and RF energies tothe IEA controller for IED that is often grounded and at much lowervoltage potentials has conventionally been difficult. That is, a seriesof RF filters may be disposed between each grid and the IEA controller76 in order to provide a high input impedance for the RF voltage at oneor more RF frequencies on each grid. One way in which the electricalcurrents are transferred, a feed-through system 75, is shown anddescribed with reference to FIGS. 18 and 19 in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention is shown.

In FIG. 18, the feed-through system 75 includes a bridge 214, thefeed-through 215, and an RF choke 217. The bridge 214 is configured toisolate the electrical connections made between the IEA 122 and the IEAcontroller 76 (FIG. 1) from the diagnostic wafer 120 and the plasma 66(FIG. 1). The bridge 214 is interfaced with the RF choke 217 via thefeed-through 215, which reduces the RF voltage picked up by the IEA 122and that may cause RF current to flow to the chamber ground as the wireconnection pass through the chamber wall. Finally, the RF choke 217restricts movement of high frequency alternating current remaining awayfrom the processing chamber 56 (FIG. 1) while permitting lower frequencyalternating current and direct currents, of which the electrical currentindicative of IED is included.

To further facilitate the filtering of high frequency AC and high RFvoltage signals, an RC-circuit 219 may be introduced to the feed-throughsystem 75. For example, each RF filter 216, 218 may comprise a notch orband-pass filter, or a low-pass filter constructed from ruthenium oxide(RuO₂) on aluminum oxide (Al₂O₃). By implementing a RuO₂ resistor 216,218 for each of the entrance grid 126 (FIG. 8) and the selection grid134 (FIG. 8), one within the diagnostic wafer 120 and one within thebridge 214, each being configured to provide about 5 kΩ of resistance,for example, then the voltage may be sufficiently decreased beforereaching the wall of the processing chamber 56 (FIG. 1).

A series of RF filters may be disposed between each grid and the IEAcontroller 76 (FIG. 1) in order to provide a high input impedance forthe RF voltage at one or more RF frequencies on each of the grids 126,134 (FIG. 8) and the ion collector 136 (FIG. 8). The IEA 122 maycomprise a first RF filter disposed between the entrance grid 126 (FIG.8) and the IEA controller 76 (FIG. 1), a second RF filter disposedbetween the selection grid 134 (FIG. 8) and the IEA controller 76 (FIG.1), and a third RF filter disposed between the ion collector 136 (FIG.8) and the IEA controller 76 (FIG. 1). For example, each RF filter maycomprise a notch or band-pass filter, or a low-pass filter

Though not specifically shown, in those embodiments in which a tunedcircuit is necessary, an inductor may be incorporated within theelectrical connection. In one embodiment, the inductance may be limitedto 100 MHz of ferrite and may be positioned between the resistorsdescribed with reference to FIG. 18.

With the details of the IEA described in detail, and turning now toFIGS. 20 and 21, a method of manufacturing the IEA 74 (FIG. 1) inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention is described.FIG. 20 is a flowchart 230 outlining the method, which is shown,schematically, in FIGS. 21A-21H.

In accordance with this MEMS (Microelectromechanical Systems) basedprocess, FIG. 21A illustrates a doped silicon substrate 234 having aphotoresist layer 236 applied thereto in accordance with Step 232. Thephotoresist layer 236 is masked and imaged, using a mask 240 dimensionedfor generating the channel (such as channel 96 of FIG. 4) in Step 238.Thereafter, in Step 242 the imaged photoresist layer 236 is baked,developed, and processed in accordance with conventional procedures toprovide an etch-resistant photoresist layer 236 and an exposed surface244 of the substrate 234, as shown in FIG. 21B. The substrate 234 isthen etched in Step 246 to generate the channel 248, as shown in FIG.21C. Etching may be performed by any known method including, forexample, wet or dry etching.

The substrate 234 with channel 248, as shown in FIG. 21C, may be used asan ion collector or undergo further processing to form either theentrance grid or the selection grid. In this regard, and turning now toDecision Step 250, if one of the grids is required (“Grid” branch ofDecision Step 250), then the process continues. Otherwise, if the ioncollector is needed (“Ion Collector” branch of Decision Step 250), thenfurther processing is not needed and the method goes to Step 276.

In any event, and to describe the further processing of the substrate234, in Step 252 another photoresist layer 254 (FIG. 21D) is applied tothe substrate 234 and channel 248 (FIG. 21D). A mask 258 (FIG. 21D) isapplied, imaged (Step 260), baked, developed, and processed to form anetch-resistant layer photoresist 255 (FIG. 21E). The substrate 234 maybe etched to create the openings 266 (FIG. 21F) for either of theentrance or selection grids.

Photoresist layers 236, 254, as described herein, may alternatively bedual mask layers, including a hard mask layer in addition to thephotoresist layer itself. The wafer may include a layer of thermal oxidedeposited thereupon, which may be utilized as the hard mask layer of thedual mask layer.

While the flowchart 230 provides a method in which the chamber is etchedprior to the grid, one of ordinary skill of the art will appreciate thatorder is not necessary and that the grid could be etched prior to thechamber.

Turning now to FIGS. 21G and 21H, with still further reference to FIG.20, one method of aligning (Step 268 of FIG. 20) and assembling (Step276 of FIG. 20) the IEA is described in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention. In that regard two of formed grids 234, 234′are positioned vertically relative to one another with an insulator 270therebetween, so as to form the entrance and selection grids,respectively. Although alignment may be accomplished in a variety ofways, the illustrative method includes a light 272 positioned on theback side of the grids 234, 234′ and a photodiode 274 on the opposingside. The bottom grid 234′ (here the selection grid) may be moved, suchas by an alignment device 224 (FIGS. 25A and 25B) having one or moremicrometers (two micrometers 228, 229 are shown) relative to the topgrid 234 until maximum light is transmitted through the grids 234, 234′,as detected by the photodiode 274. The micrometers 228, 229 may eachinclude an arm 282, 284 configured to engage a recessed surface 286 orthe perimeter of the diagnostic wafer 60.

Once light transmission is maximized, a collector 280, formed inaccordance with the “Ion Collector” branch of Decision Step 250, with aninsulator 278, are positioned adjacent to the first and second grids234, 234′, and secured, for example, with the bolts 148 (FIG. 8).

It should be appreciated that while the MEMS-based process has beendescribed herein, other methods of forming the grids may alternativelybe used. For example, laser drilling, Electrical Discharge Machining(“EDM,” such as including a graphite electrode), electron-beammachining, and so forth.

Once the IEA is assembled, the grids and the ion collector areelectrically coupled to the IEA controller 76 (FIG. 1). Yet,conventional practice of soldering, using a tin-lead solder, isdifficult on a silicon substrate 61 (FIG. 1). In that regard, and withreference now to FIGS. 22-23D, a method of forming the aforementionedelectrical connection is described in detail.

As shown in FIG. 23A, a perimeter of the entrance or selection grid 122,134 or the ion collector 136, as appropriate, proximate a position forthe electrical coupling is shown. A slit 294 may be formed by drilling,cuting, etching, or otherwise created in the substrate comprising theentrance or selection grid 122, 134 or the ion collector 136. The slit294 is prepared with close tolerances, for example, ranging from about10 μm to about 20 μm, around the sides of the conductor 300 forming theelectrical connection. Then, in Step 292 and as shown in FIG. 23B, aplatinum, Pt, and glass thick film (hereafter reference as a “frit”) isapplied to the slit, for example, via a vapor deposition process. Thedeposited Pt layer is then annealed at 500° C. for about 30 minutes toform a layer 226 of Pt that is about 5 nm thick (Step 296).

In FIG. 23C, The conductor 300 may then be positioned within the slit294, atop the Pt layer 226 and coated with a second frit 304 (Step 298).The diagnostic wafer 120 is then fired (Step 302) with a two-stepsintering process (about 300° C. and about 950° C., respectively) toelectrically and mechanically bond the conductor 300 to the entrance orselection grid 122, 134 or the ion collector 136, as shown in FIG. 23D.The mechanical, and in particular, electrical bond are enhanced by theformation of platinum silicide compound at the interface between theplatinum and silicon.

IEAs in accordance with an embodiment herein need not be limited todiagnostic wafers. Instead, with reference to FIG. 24 and in accordancewith another embodiment of the present invention, a diagnostic system50′ having an IEA 310 on a plasma exposed surface is described. Asshown, the IEA 310 is positioned on the substrate support 58′ so as tobe exposed to the plasma 66′ during a plasma process. While thediagnostic wafer 60′ is shown positioned on the substrate support 58′,this is not necessary. Instead, and by positioning the IEA 310 into thediagnostic system 50′, IED may be determined during plasma processing ofany wafer, whether including a separate IEA or not. Furthermore, theposition of the IEA 310 need not be limited to the particularillustrative embodiment. Instead, the position of the IEA 310 need onlybe limited to a surface that may be exposed to the plasma 66′. Indeed,multiple IEAs 310 may be positioned throughout the processing chamber56′ for IED determination at a plurality of locations for evaluatingplasma uniformity.

While the present invention has been illustrated by description ofvarious embodiments and while those embodiments have been described inconsiderable detail, those skilled in the art will readily appreciatethat many modifications are possible in the exemplary embodiment withoutmaterially departing from the novel teachings and advantages of thisinvention. The invention in its broader aspects is therefore not limitedto the specific details and illustrative examples shown and described.Accordingly, departures may be made from such details without departingfrom the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of generating a signal with an ionenergy analyzer for use in determining an ion energy distribution of aplasma, the ion energy analyzer comprising: a first grid forming a firstsurface of the ion energy analyzer positioned to be exposed to theplasma at a reference voltage when the ion energy analyzer is positionedin a plasma processing apparatus, the first grid including a firstplurality of openings, each of the openings of the first pluralityhaving a dimension that is less than a Debye length for the plasma suchthat the plasma sheath does not penetrate openings of the firstplurality; an ion collector forming a second surface of the ion energyanalyzer; a first voltage source operably coupled to the ion collector;a second grid positioned between the first grid and the ion collectorand electrically isolated from the first grid; a second voltage sourceoperably coupled to the second grid; an ion current meter operablycoupled to the second grid; a first insulator positioned between thefirst grid and the second grid, wherein a geometry of the firstinsulator is selected to project, from outside of a respective channelbetween the first grid and the second grid, inwardly toward andorthogonal to a center axis of the ion energy analyzer such that nostraight line path that is parallel to the optic axis exists between anytwo points on the first grid and the second grid, respectively, from aset of all possible paths extending along a surface of the firstinsulator; and a second insulator positioned between the second grid andthe ion collector, wherein a geometry of the second insulator isselected to project, from outside of a respective channel between thesecond grid and the ion collector, inwardly toward and orthogonal to thecenter axis of the ion energy analyzer such that no straight line paththat is parallel to the optic axis exists between any two points on thesecond grid and the ion collector grid, respectively, from a set of allpossible paths extending along a surface of the second insulator; themethod comprising: preventing plasma from penetrating the first gridwith the first plurality of openings; selectively and variably biasingthe ion collector relative to the first grid with the first voltagesource; selectively and variably biasing the second grid relative to thefirst grid with the second voltage source; with the selected geometry ofthe first insulator, electrically isolating the first grid from thesecond grid and reducing or preventing electrical breakdowntherebetween; with the selected geometry of the second insulator,electrically isolating the second grid from the ion collector andreducing or preventing electrical breakdown therebetween; measuring anion current flow at the ion collector with the ion current meter; andtransmitting a signal representing the measured ion current flow.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising: detecting a potential of thefirst grid before selectively and variably biasing the second grid. 3.The method of claim 1 further comprising: applying a potential barrierbetween, and with respect to, the first grid and the plasma so as tolimit ions of a plurality of ions passing through the first grid tothose having a sufficient energy to overcome the potential barrier;selectively and variably biasing the second grid with respect to thefirst grid so as to further limit ions of the plurality of ions passingthrough the second grid; and measuring a flux of ions passing throughthe second grid.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the second gridincludes a second plurality of openings.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein measuring the flux of ions further comprises: impacting the ioncollector with the flux of ions; and generating an ion currentrepresenting the impacting flux of ions.
 6. The method of claim 4,wherein the second grid is further configured to generate an ion currentrepresenting the flux of ions, the ion current used in measuring theflux of ions.
 7. The method of claim 4, wherein the potential barrier isapplied by the first voltage source, the selective and variable bias isapplied by the second voltage source, and the flux of ions is measuredby the ion current meter.
 8. The method of claim 4, further comprising:receiving the flux of ions at a third grid; and transmitting a signalrepresenting the received flux of ions.
 9. The method of claim 4,further comprising: transmitting a signal representing the measured fluxof ions.
 10. A method of generating a signal with an ion energy analyzerfor use in determining an ion energy distribution of a plasma, the ionenergy analyzer comprising: a first grid forming a first surface of theion energy analyzer positioned to be exposed to the plasma at areference voltage when the ion energy analyzer is positioned in a plasmaprocessing apparatus, the first grid including a first plurality ofopenings, each of the openings of the first plurality having a dimensionthat is less than a Debye length for the plasma such that the plasmasheath does not penetrate openings of the first plurality; an ioncollector forming a second surface of the ion energy analyzer; a firstvoltage source operably coupled to the ion collector; a second gridpositioned between the first grid and the ion collector and electricallyisolated from the first grid; a second voltage source operably coupledto the second grid; an ion current meter operably coupled to the secondgrid; a first insulator positioned between the first grid and the secondgrid, wherein a geometry of the first insulator is selected to projectfrom outside of a respective channel between the first grid and thesecond grid diametrically inwardly from the respective channel of thefirst grid and the second grid a length, L, that is sufficient to reduceelectrical breakdown therebetween; and a second insulator positionedbetween the second grid and the ion collector, wherein a geometry of thesecond insulator is selected to project from outside of a respectivechannel between the second grid and the ion collector diametricallyinwardly from the respective channel of the second grid and the ioncollector a length, L, that is sufficient to reduce electrical breakdowntherebetween; the method comprising: preventing plasma from penetratingthe first grid with the openings of the first plurality of openings;selectively and variably biasing the ion collector relative to the firstgrid with the first voltage source; selectively and variably biasing thesecond grid relative to the first grid with the second voltage source;with the selected geometry of the first insulator, electricallyisolating the first grid from the second grid and reducing or preventingelectrical breakdown therebetween; with the selected geometry of thesecond insulator, electrically isolating the second grid from the ioncollector and reducing or preventing electrical breakdown therebetween;measuring an ion current flow at the ion collector with the ion currentmeter; and transmitting a signal representing the measured ion currentflow.
 11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: applying apotential barrier between, and with respect to, the first grid and theplasma so as to limit ions from a plurality of ions passing through thefirst grid to those having a sufficient energy to overcome the potentialbarrier; selectively and variably biasing the second grid with respectto the first grid so as to further limit ions of the plurality passingthrough the second grid; and receiving a flux of ions passing throughthe second grid at the ion collector; and measuring the flux of ionswith the ion current meter; and transmitting a signal representing themeasured flux of ions.
 12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:detecting a potential of the first grid prior to applying the potentialbarrier between the first grid and the plasma.
 13. A method ofgenerating a signal with an ion energy analyzer for use in determiningan ion energy distribution of a plasma, the ion energy analyzercomprising: a first grid forming a first surface of the ion energyanalyzer positioned to be exposed to the plasma at a reference voltagewhen the ion energy analyzer is positioned in a plasma processingapparatus, the first grid including a first central grid portion havinga first plurality of openings therein and a first central channel formedbelow the first central grid portion, each of the openings of the firstplurality having a dimension that is less than a Debye length for theplasma such that the plasma sheath does not penetrate openings of thefirst plurality, and a diameter of the first central grid portion beingless than a diameter of the first central channel; an ion collectorforming a second surface of the ion energy analyzer; a first voltagesource operably coupled to the ion collector; a second grid positionedbetween the first grid and the ion collector and electrically isolatedfrom the first grid, the second grid including a second central gridportion having a second plurality of openings therein and a secondcentral channel formed below the second central grid portion, and adiameter of the second central grid portion being less than a diameterof the second central channel; a second voltage source operably coupledto the second grid; an ion current meter operably coupled to the secondgrid; a first insulator positioned between the first grid and the secondgrid and having a first central opening in vertical alignment with thefirst and second central grid portions, wherein an inner diameter of thefirst insulator is greater than the diameter of the first and secondcentral grid portions and less than the diameter of the first centralchannel such that the first insulator has an inward projection toward acenter of the ion energy analyzer; and wherein an outer diameter of thefirst insulator is greater than the diameter of the first centralchannel; and a second insulator positioned between the second grid andthe ion collector and having a second central opening in verticalalignment with the first and second central grid portions , wherein aninner diameter of the second insulator is greater than the diameter ofthe first and second central grid portions and less than the diameter ofthe second central channel such that the second insulator has an inwardprojection toward the center of the ion energy analyzer; and wherein anouter diameter of the second insulator is greater than the diameter ofthe second central channel; the method comprising: preventing plasmafrom penetrating the first grid with the first plurality of openings;selectively and variably biasing the ion collector relative to the firstgrid with the first voltage source; selectively and variably biasing thesecond grid relative to the first grid with the second voltage source;with the inward projection of the first insulator, electricallyisolating the first grid from the second grid and reducing or preventingelectrical breakdown therebetween; with the inward projection of thesecond insulator, electrically isolating the second grid from the ioncollector and reducing or preventing electrical breakdown therebetween;measuring an ion current flow at the ion collector with the ion currentmeter; and transmitting a signal representing the measured ion currentflow.
 14. The method of claim 13, further comprising: detecting apotential of the first grid before selectively and variably biasing thesecond grid.
 15. The method of claim 13, further comprising: applying apotential barrier between, and with respect to, the first grid and theplasma so as to limit ions of a plurality of ions passing through thefirst grid to those having a sufficient energy to overcome the potentialbarrier; selectively and variably biasing the second grid with respectto the first grid so as to further limit ions of the plurality of ionspassing through the second grid; and measuring a flux of ions passingthrough the second grid.
 16. The method of claim 13, wherein measuringthe flux of ions further comprises: impacting the ion collector with theflux of ions; and generating an ion current representing the impactingflux of ions.
 17. The method of claim 13, wherein the second grid isfurther configured to generate an ion current representing the flux ofions, the ion current used in measuring the flux of ions.
 18. The methodof claim 13, wherein the potential barrier is applied by the firstvoltage source, the selective and variable bias is applied by the secondvoltage source, and the flux of ions is measured by the ion currentmeter.
 19. The method of claim 13, further comprising: receiving theflux of ions at a third grid; and transmitting a signal representing thereceived flux of ions.
 20. The method of claim 13, further comprising:transmitting a signal representing the measured flux of ions.